Film blog + China | The Guardianhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog+world/china
Indexen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2017Fri, 18 Aug 2017 05:33:01 GMT2017-08-18T05:33:01Zen-gbGuardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2017The Guardianhttps://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.pnghttps://www.theguardian.com
Eastern promise: the Hollywood films making their money in Chinahttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jun/14/hollywood-films-in-china-asia-market-warcraft-the-beginning
<p>With Warcraft: The Beginning breaking records in Asia yet failing in its homeland, what does the future hold for American-made blockbusters?</p><p>The ambitiously, or perhaps foolishly, titled orcs v humans video game adaptation Warcraft: The Beginning was perceived as not just a standalone summer blockbuster but the first instalment in an epic new series of adventures. Before the film had even been released, <a href="http://www.cinemablend.com/news/Warcraft-2-Works-Here-What-Director-Duncan-Jones-Had-Say-69054.html">director Duncan Jones was teasing that more was to come</a> and Universal, a studio that’s seen franchises bloom in recent years from Fast &amp; Furious to Despicable Me to Fifty Shades, was surely eyeing a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/lord-of-the-rings">Lord of the Rings</a> style profit-making saga.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/30/duncan-jones-warcraft-the-beginning-moon-david-bowie-source-code">Duncan Jones on Warcraft: 'If you get it wrong, people are going to be upset'</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/27/paramount-sued-chinese-company-transformers-age-of-extinction-product-placement">Paramount sued by Chinese company for failed Transformers product placement</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/11/china-sentences-man-to-seven-years-in-jail-for-watching-sensitive-film">China sentences man to seven years in jail for watching 'sensitive' film</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jun/14/hollywood-films-in-china-asia-market-warcraft-the-beginning">Continue reading...</a>FilmChinaAsia PacificCultureWarcraftPacific RimTransformers: Age of ExtinctionFilm industryBusinessWorld newsStar Wars: The Force AwakensStar WarsScience fiction and fantasyTue, 14 Jun 2016 17:38:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jun/14/hollywood-films-in-china-asia-market-warcraft-the-beginningPhotograph: pr picsPhotograph: pr picsBenjamin Lee2016-06-14T17:38:51ZRed carpet: is China right to ringfence homegrown cinema?https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/apr/04/chinese-cinema-homegrown-tax-rebate
<p>Offering financial incentives to cinemas that prioritise local film is China’s latest move to protect their burgeoning movie industry against Hollywood – an improvement on outright censorship, but no guarantee of talent</p><p>Judging by the half a billion dollars <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/feb/22/global-box-office-the-mermaid-china-record-zootopia-how-to-be-single">hoovered up by Stephen Chow’s The Mermaid </a>over Chinese new year, the country’s film industry doesn’t look much in need of a helping hand. Unrulier, fishier-tailed and more original than is the average for mainstream Chinese fare, it has been rewarded by becoming the country’s most successful film, in yet another significant notch towards the biggest growth spurt cinema has ever seen. But even though Chinese films took a mighty 62% of the market in 2015, the government just wants to be sure: last week, it announced a new tax rebate to cinemas that <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-reward-cinemas-favoring-local-878541">ensure that homegrown films take more than two-thirds of total box office. </a></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/apr/01/chinas-box-office-certain-to-overtake-us-as-takings-up-50-in-2016s-first-quarter">China's box office certain to overtake US as takings up 50% in 2016's first quarter</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/03/china-censor-approves-seek-mccartney-film-cinema-gay-relationship">China approves cinema release of first film about gay relationship</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/apr/04/chinese-cinema-homegrown-tax-rebate">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureChinaAsia PacificMon, 04 Apr 2016 12:06:13 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/apr/04/chinese-cinema-homegrown-tax-rebatePhotograph: PR Company HandoutPhotograph: PR Company HandoutPhil Hoad2016-04-04T12:06:13ZAs The 5th Wave flounders at the global box office, YA sci-fi faces endgamehttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jan/26/global-box-office-the-5th-wave-dirty-grandpa-daddys-home
<p>In this week’s roundup of the global box-office scene:<br></p><p>• Search for successor to The Hunger Games continues, as ossifying formula gives latest YA franchise weak start<br>• ‘Viagra comedy’ Dirty Grandpa fails to satisfy De Niro or Efron fanbases<br>• Daddy’s Home hints at global expansion for comedy star Will Ferrell<br></p><p>Never mind the title, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/21/the-5th-wave-review-choe-grace-moretz-dystopian-sci-fi">The 5th Wave</a> actually arrives as the fourth round of big-budget young-adult adaptations. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/twilight">Twilight</a> broke the market open, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/the-hunger-games">The Hunger Games</a> consolidated it, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/divergent">Divergent</a>/<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/the-maze-runner">The Maze Runner</a> set the formula, and The 5th Wave looks like it could spell YA decline. Surfacing in the wake of Star Wars can’t have been easy for any competing sci-fi film, but $10.7m for sixth place in the US is <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=yaadaptations.htm&amp;sort=opengross&amp;order=DESC&amp;p=.htm">well below its peers</a> (Twilight, $69m; The Hunger Games, $152m; Divergent, $54m; The Maze Runner, $32.5m). Prudently, Sony haven’t broken the bank for the film, spending $38m on this adaptation of <a href="http://www.rickyancey.com/">Rick Yancey</a>’s novel, featuring Chloë Grace Moretz searching for her brother in the aftermath of a devastating alien invasion. <br></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jan/26/global-box-office-the-5th-wave-dirty-grandpa-daddys-home">Continue reading...</a>FilmWorld cinemaFilm industryCultureRobert De NiroZac EfronWill FerrellScience fiction and fantasyComedyBusinessComedyChinaAsia PacificWorld newsFilm adaptationsChildren and teenagersBooksChloë Grace MoretzTue, 26 Jan 2016 11:10:14 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2016/jan/26/global-box-office-the-5th-wave-dirty-grandpa-daddys-homePhotograph: Chuck Zlotnick/APPhotograph: Chuck Zlotnick/APPhil Hoad2016-01-26T11:10:14ZThe Martian shows Hollywood's Chinese connection has lift-offhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/30/global-box-office-the-martian-the-good-dinosaur-creed
<p>In this week’s roundup of the global box-office scene:<br></p><p>• Ridley Scott’s film takes $50m in China after becoming the latest to include special scenes<br>• Pixar turns in lowest ever US opening for troubled The Good Dinosaur<br>• Creed follows Straight Outta Compton as African-American breakout<br></p><p>US talkshow host Stephen Colbert <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4WBsahU3X4">recently lampooned the phenomenon</a>, but evidence is stacking up that shoehorning in a China-set scene actually works for Hollywood blockbusters. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/oct/04/the-martian-review-matt-damon-shines-stranded-astronaut">The Martian</a>, in which the China National Space Administration saves both Nasa’s and Matt Damon’s asses, has just opened strongly over there with $50.1m (£33.3m). You can’t discount the importance of being the autumn’s breakout blockbuster elsewhere – but nor can Ridley Scott’s plot choices be dismissed, especially in the light of other films that have climbed on board what Colbert has dubbed the “Pander Express”. Roland Emmerich’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/nov/03/2012-roland-emmerich-apocalypse-film-tv-recap">2012</a> wasn’t the first tentpole release to do it (that was probably Mission: Impossible 3, a little too early in 2006). </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/18/creed-review-new-rocky-movie-is-a-split-decision">Creed review – new Rocky movie is a split decision</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/30/global-box-office-the-martian-the-good-dinosaur-creed">Continue reading...</a>The MartianRidley ScottCultureFilmChinaAsia PacificWorld newsAction and adventureFilm industryBusinessThe Good DinosaurPixarAnimationCreedBoxingSportStraight Outta ComptonMon, 30 Nov 2015 17:21:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/30/global-box-office-the-martian-the-good-dinosaur-creedPhotograph: 20th Century FoxPhotograph: 20th Century FoxPhil Hoad2015-11-30T17:21:08ZNumbers of the devil: Star Wars and the dark arts of box office analysishttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/30/star-wars-force-awakens-dark-arts-of-box-office-analysis
<p>How and why did Hollywood turn speculation about blockbusters’ financial performance into a marketing tool – and is the strategy about to backfire?</p><p>When The Phantom Menace was released in 1999, George Lucas found himself on expectations-management duty. Questioned about whether the prequel would beat Titanic as America’s all-time box-office No 1 film, he dispensed Jedi wisdom: “This is not a contest. Our society makes everything adversarial.” He predicted, meekly, that The Phantom Menace would gross more than Jurassic Park but less than ET.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/20/star-wars-the-force-awakens-us-advance-ticket-sales-record-50m">Star Wars: The Force Awakens torpedos US advance ticket sales record</a> </p><p>Batman taught Hollywood that if everyone wanted to see a movie in advance, it didn't matter if it was any good</p><p>$1.5bn, as attained by The Avengers, Furious 7 and Jurassic World, is the new $1bn</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/30/star-wars-force-awakens-dark-arts-of-box-office-analysis">Continue reading...</a>Star Wars: The Force AwakensFilmFilm industryCultureBusinessStar WarsScience fiction and fantasyJJ AbramsGeorge LucasInternetTechnologyMarketing & PRMediaChinaUS newsAsia PacificWorld newsMon, 30 Nov 2015 16:25:26 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/30/star-wars-force-awakens-dark-arts-of-box-office-analysisPhotograph: APPhotograph: APPhil Hoad2015-11-30T16:25:26ZThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 fails to satiate box-office bloodlust across the worldhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/23/global-box-office-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-spectre-the-night-before
<p>In this week’s roundup of the global box-office scene:<br>• Franchise low Mockingjay - Part 2 is still year’s fifth highest opening<br>• Spectre holding comparably to Skyfall in the 007 heartlands<br>• Seth Rogen’s festive comedy The Night Before gets in early in November</p><p>Like Twilight and Harry Potter, the closing chapter of The Hunger Games was bifurcated by distributor Lionsgate, hoping for a similar box-office bonanza. There’s no doubt that two Mockingjays will bring in more than one would have, but the trick is not working as well as with other young-adult franchises. Mockingjay - Part 1’s opening saw a hefty fall-off from both the first film ($152.5m) and Catching Fire ($158m). More disappointing for Lionsgate is that Part 2 – unlike <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=harrypotter.htm">Harry Potter</a> and <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=twilight.htm">Twilight</a> – has failed to rally audiences for the big finale, debuting this weekend at a series low of $101m. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/18/how-the-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-staged-a-revolution">How The Hunger Games staged a revolution</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/nov/17/the-night-before-review-seth-rogen-christmas-comedy">The Night Before review – Seth Rogen serves up Christmas film with dick pics</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/23/global-box-office-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-spectre-the-night-before">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2SpectreJames BondJennifer LawrenceThrillerComedySeth RogenSalman KhanBollywoodIndiaChinaSouth KoreaAsia PacificComedySouth and Central AsiaWorld newsMon, 23 Nov 2015 17:06:47 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/23/global-box-office-hunger-games-mockingjay-part-2-spectre-the-night-beforePhotograph: LIONSGATE/Allstar/LIONSGATEPhotograph: LIONSGATE/Allstar/LIONSGATEPhil Hoad2015-11-23T17:06:47ZBond is best of British – and Spectre still has a view to a killing overseashttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/02/global-box-office-spectre-bridge-of-spies
<p>In this week’s roundup of the global box-office scene:<br><br>• Spectre breaks British box-office record, but Sony’s mission is to woo emerging markets <br>• Spielberg goes low-key with third consecutive drama, Bridge of Spies<br>• Does recent US box-office carnage mean the death of the mid-range film?<br></p><p>In 2012, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/skyfall">Skyfall</a> was a gamechanger for Bond. <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=jamesbond.htm">No prior 007 film had taken more than $600m worldwide</a>; Skyfall took $1.1bn, the series’ dramatic credentials strengthened by director Sam Mendes and patriotic broodings in perfect left-hand counterpoint to Britain’s Olympics and the Queen’s diamond jubilee year. Mendes is still on deck for the followup Spectre, as is Daniel Craig. But the lack of real-world hookup this time leaves some doubt about whether it can match its predecessor’s record-breaking gross. The return of a certain nefarious crime syndicate, meanwhile, is not currently bringing Spectre the same critical unanimity enjoyed by Skyfall. <br></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/02/global-box-office-spectre-bridge-of-spies">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureSpectreHotel Transylvania 2The MartianBridge of SpiesAnt-ManCrimson PeakFilm industryOur Brand is CrisisSteve JobsBusinessSteven SpielbergSam MendesJames BondThrillerChinaAsia PacificWorld newsMon, 02 Nov 2015 18:13:49 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/nov/02/global-box-office-spectre-bridge-of-spiesPhotograph: Allstar/United ArtistsPhotograph: Allstar/United ArtistsPhil Hoad2015-11-02T18:13:49ZShyamalan gets career reprieve as The Visit marks 2015 horror highhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/14/global-box-office-shyamalan-the-visit-maze-runner-scorch-trials-rogue-nation-minions
<p>In this week’s roundup of the global box-office scene:<br><br>• Low-budget Blumhouse collaboration follows The Hurt Locker and Brokeback Mountain in the career-reboot stakes<br>• Maze Runner franchise overtakes Divergent in bid to succeed Hunger Games<br>• Rogue Nation and Minions set Chinese records<br></p><p>Critics seem divided on the merits or otherwise of M Night Shyamalan’s low-budget horror <a href="http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_visit_2015/">The Visit</a>: a desperate found-footage last stand, or nimble genre retrenchment? But a $25.7m US debut – just pipped to the No 1 spot by erotic thriller <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/14/us-box-office-film-the-perfect-guy-m-night-shyamalan-the-visit">The Perfect Guy</a> – settles things in financial terms. It’s the strongest horror opening of the year (beating <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/04/insidious-chapter-3-review-solidly-made-effective-horror-sequel">Insidious 3</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/may/21/poltergeist-2015-review">Poltergeist</a>, both $22.6m), jumping up strongly from Friday to Saturday to put the $5m film, a collaboration with no-budget outfit Blumhouse, firmly in the black already. Like a big group playing a small venue, the Shyamalan name, soiled though it is, undoubtedly had some impact on the result. But he is also reliant on the downsized context – a small-scale story about a couple of kids staying with their freaky grandparents – as a means of proving to audiences and execs that he can still responsibly handle storytelling basics after recent mishaps. <br></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/14/global-box-office-shyamalan-the-visit-maze-runner-scorch-trials-rogue-nation-minions">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureMission: Impossible - Rogue NationMinionsStraight Outta ComptonInside OutDivergentJurassic WorldThe Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2FrozenAnt-ManLegendIndiaChinaAsia PacificSouth and Central AsiaWorld newsMon, 14 Sep 2015 17:13:40 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/14/global-box-office-shyamalan-the-visit-maze-runner-scorch-trials-rogue-nation-minionsPhotograph: Uncredited/APPhotograph: Uncredited/APPhil Hoad2015-09-14T17:13:40ZWill China's growing box office dominance change Hollywood for ever?https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/10/will-china-box-office-dominance-change-hollywood
<p>China will overtake North America within three years to become the world’s largest film audience – which is great news for fans of Transformers and endless Terminator sequels</p><p>It’s been 15 years since a China-set movie, Ang Lee’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/oct/19/crouching-tiger-hidden-dragon-action">Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon</a>, broke the $100m mark at the North American box office. And yet Hollywood could be about to change forever due to cinemagoing habits in the world’s most populous nation.<br></p><p>Earlier this week the Hollywood Reporter predicted that the Chinese box office, already the second largest globally, <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-exceeds-2014-820883">will now overtake North America in 2018</a> – a full two years earlier than expected. Studios have moved mountains in recent years to cater to the ever-expanding passion for cinema in the region, setting up co-production deals on fantasy blockbusters such as Iron Man 3 and Transformers: Age of Extinction to bypass Beijing’s strict 34 foreign movies-per-year quota system for multiplexes. Chinese stars such as <a href="http://mashable.com/2015/08/20/fan-bingbing-highest-paid-actress/#k0g8W42G8qkN">Fan Bingbing</a> have been parachuted into roles in Hollywood movies in order to keep local audiences happy, then edited out again for western viewers (<a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/apr/26/iron-man-3-chinese-edition">much to the chagrin of some fans</a>). Dreamworks even launched a China-based studio in 2012, partnering with local companies, which will oversee the release of animated sequel Kung Fu Panda 3. <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/26/warner-bros-moves-into-china">Warner Bros recently announced plans</a> to team with the state-backed China Media Capital firm to make Chinese-language films aimed at the domestic market.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/24/global-box-office-terminator-genisys-bride-wars-hitman-agent-47">Arnie might be back after all: Chinese debut could save Terminator franchise</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/08/china-accused-of-as-government-backed-film-outperforms-terminator-genisys">China accused of fraud over patriotic epic which shot down Terminator</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/10/will-china-box-office-dominance-change-hollywood">Continue reading...</a>Film industryChinaFilmCultureScience fiction and fantasyBusinessWorld newsTerminator GenisysTransformers: Age of ExtinctionCensorshipPacific RimWarner BrosSteven SpielbergAsia PacificUS newsThu, 10 Sep 2015 17:07:05 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/sep/10/will-china-box-office-dominance-change-hollywoodPhotograph: Jason Lee / Reuters/REUTERSPhotograph: Jason Lee / Reuters/REUTERSBen Child2015-09-10T17:07:05ZJurassic World joins the international billionaires clubhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/07/global-box-office-bollywood-jurassic-world-transporter-refuelled
<p>In this week’s roundup of the global box-office scene:<br><br>• Bollywood comedy sequel manages India’s third-highest opening of 2015<br>• Jurassic World becomes the fourth film to make $1bn overseas<br>• Hitman and Transporter sequels mop up in gap between blockbusters<br></p><p>Big-opening comedies have been in short supply at the Indian box office in 2015, with only Eros International’s romcom sequel <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGGmyaurjAI">Tanu Weds Manu Returns</a> hitting the mark in May. But another Eros film, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/06/welcome-back-review-anil-kapoor-bollywood-gangster-comedy">Welcome Back</a>, burst unmistakably into the upper echelons this weekend with a 524m rupee ($7.8m) debut (unlisted on the Rentrak chart). That’s the third-highest domestic start this year, behind Baahubali (1.448bn rupees), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (1.026bn), and just scratching ahead of Brothers’ opening (521m) a few weeks back. Maybe the star of the latter, Akshay Kumar – who along with Katrina Kaif featured in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_%282007_film%29">original 2007 Welcome</a> – will be regretting not getting on board this time. Recycling the hot young lovers in the matrimonially themed series, with <a href="https://twitter.com/TheJohnAbraham">John Abraham</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/shrutihaasan">Shruti Haasan</a> slotting in for the sequel, seems to have made no difference, with seasoned buffoons Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar still crucially in place as matchmaking gangsters. </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/06/welcome-back-review-anil-kapoor-bollywood-gangster-comedy">Welcome Back review - Anil Kapoor in gangster comedy sequel that aims low and hits its target</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/07/global-box-office-bollywood-jurassic-world-transporter-refuelled">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureBollywoodJurassic WorldHitman: Agent 47Straight Outta ComptonMission: Impossible - Rogue NationMinionsAnt-ManTerminator GenisysInside OutThe Man from UNCLEIndiaChinaAsia PacificSouth and Central AsiaWorld newsMon, 07 Sep 2015 16:44:51 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/07/global-box-office-bollywood-jurassic-world-transporter-refuelledPhotograph: Universal Pictures/Amblin Entert/APPhotograph: Universal Pictures/Amblin Entert/APPhil Hoad2015-09-07T16:44:51ZBajrangi Bhaijaan and Baahubali clash in India's heavyweight box office battlehttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jul/27/global-box-office-pixels-monster-hunt-baahubali-bajrangi-bhaijaan
<p>In this week’s round-up of the global box-office scene:<br></p><p>• Monster Hunt becomes the most successful Chinese film ever<br>• Latin American love for Adam Sandler could rescue Pixels<br>• Inside Out on track for a stellar global performance </p><p>First of all, let’s catch up with the Indian big boys not mentioned on Rentrak’s chart. After a leaden first six months at the box office there, July has thrown up a titanic tussle between two megastars: moustachioed Telugu supremo Prahbas, and his war epic <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/12/baahubali-the-beginning-review-fantastic-bang-for-your-buck-in-most-expensive-indian-movie-ever-made">Baahubali</a>, and Muslim main man <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/salman-khan">Salman Khan</a>, and his cross-border drama <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/19/bajrangi-bhaijaan-review-salman-khan-india-pakistan-movie">Bajrangi Bhaijaan</a>. Baahubali, the country’s much-trumpeted most expensive production to date, at $40m, was looking unbeatable after its record-breaking debut weekend on 10-12 July; its global take was 450 crore ($70.1m) after 17 days on release at the close of this weekend, <a href="http://www.ibtimes.co.in/baahubali-bahubali-3rd-weekend-box-office-collection-prabhas-starrer-grosses-rs-425-crore-17-640590">according to the International Business Times</a>. Which puts it in third place on the list of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_Indian_films">highest grossing Indian films</a>, overtaking Shahrukh Khan’s 2013 romcom Chennai Express (423 crore) and leaving just Aamir Khan vehicles Dhoom 3 (542 crore) and PK (740 crore) above it. But on the strength of what looks like a phenomenal overseas performance – reflecting Salman Khan’s wider celebrity, not to mention the interest in the manslaughter case hanging over him – Bajrangi Bhaijaan looks to be on almost level pegging after just 10 days on deck. Wikipedia currently quotes it at 437 crore globally, which would mean it’s taken nearly 200 crore outside of India, <a href="http://www.koimoi.com/overseas-bollywood-box-office-top10-movies/">better than any Bollywood release apart from PK</a>. Bajrangi Bhaijaan is a very Bollywood affair – an attempt to gild Salman Khan with some of his namesake Aamir’s altruistic grace. A broad-shouldered CGI spectacular that holds its own with the best of Hollywood, Baahubali has more crossover appeal, so let’s hope non-Indian audiences get the opportunity to lap it up.</p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/19/bajrangi-bhaijaan-review-salman-khan-india-pakistan-movie">Bajrangi Bhaijaan review: Salman Khan strong even when wet as he escorts mute six-year-old back to Pakistan</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/13/lost-in-thailand-lost-in-translation">Lost in Thailand: did China's comedy hit get lost in translation?</a> </p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jul/27/inside-out-philosophical-mind-pixar-philosophy">Inside Out: a crash course in PhD philosophy of self that kids will get first</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jul/27/global-box-office-pixels-monster-hunt-baahubali-bajrangi-bhaijaan">Continue reading...</a>CultureFilmBollywoodIndiaSouth and Central AsiaWorld newsSalman KhanChinaAsia PacificAdam SandlerInside OutPixarAnimationSouth KoreaMinionsWed, 29 Jul 2015 09:55:09 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/jul/27/global-box-office-pixels-monster-hunt-baahubali-bajrangi-bhaijaanPhotograph: PRPhotograph: PRPhil Hoad2015-07-29T09:55:09ZTelugu epic Baahubali smashes box-office record in Bollywood takedownhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/13/global-box-office-baahubali-minions-mad-max-fury-road
<p>In this week’s round-up of the global box-office scene:<br><br>• Most expensive Indian production makes overwhelming box-office debut<br>• Minions grovels its way to second highest US animation debut ever <br>• Charlize Theron back in the blockbuster league thanks to Mad Max: Fury Road</p><p>Spin-offs have been a desperate last throw of the dice for animation franchises: Puss-in-Boots, Planes and, most recently, Penguins of Madagascar were box-office low points for, respectively, the Shrek, Cars and Madagascar series. That won’t be an issue for Universal’s irrepressible Minions, whose current $395.7m (£235m) worldwide gross already puts it within spitting distance of parent film Despicable Me’s $543.1m total, after just four weekends. Minions finally opened in the US this frame, with $115.2m comfortably surpassing the recent $90.4m for Pixar’s Inside Out (which cost twice as much) and snatching the <a href="http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=animation.htm&amp;sort=opengross&amp;order=DESC&amp;p=.htm">second highest animation debut</a> of all time (behind Shrek the Third’s $121.6m).<br></p><p> <span>Related: </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/12/baahubali-the-beginning-review-fantastic-bang-for-your-buck-in-most-expensive-indian-movie-ever-made">Baahubali: The Beginning review – fantastic&nbsp;bang for your buck in most expensive Indian movie ever made</a> </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/13/global-box-office-baahubali-minions-mad-max-fury-road">Continue reading...</a>CultureFilmMinionsTerminator GenisysJurassic WorldInside OutMagic Mike XXLTed 2Mad Max: Fury RoadWorld newsIndiaChinaAsia PacificSouth and Central AsiaRussiaEuropeMon, 13 Jul 2015 17:08:46 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jul/13/global-box-office-baahubali-minions-mad-max-fury-roadPhotograph: PRPhotograph: PRPhil Hoad2015-07-13T17:08:46ZWill Smith losing freshness fast as Focus dissipates at global box officehttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/mar/04/will-smith-fifty-shades-of-grey-focus-birdman-from-vegas-to-macau-2
<p>In this week’s instalment of our series tracking cinema’s worldwide winners …<br></p><p>• US numbers for Focus, following After Earth’s, suggest Will Smith has lost domestic support<br>• Chow Yun-Fat helps Chinese box office reach milestone<br>• Fifty Shades sweeps the board everywhere but the far east</p><p>$31.3m for a 32-territory rollout featuring a big name, supposedly one of the hallowed few able to open a film singlehandedly is not good form. Will Smith’s conman thriller <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/feb/26/focus-review">Focus</a>, co-starring Wolf of Wall Street bombshell Margot Robbie, has already been positioned as a lowering of expectations for the box-office main man after the disappointment of 2013’s <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/after-earth">After Earth</a>, which limped on a $130m budget to $243.8m worldwide. So let’s not use the blockbuster measuring chart – on which Smith has marked some lofty notches, including Independence Day’s $817.4m ($1.2bn corrected for inflation) – to size up his new venture. </p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/mar/04/will-smith-fifty-shades-of-grey-focus-birdman-from-vegas-to-macau-2">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureWill SmithFifty Shades of GreyFilm industryBirdmanAlejandro González IñárrituChinaChappieNeill BlomkampWed, 04 Mar 2015 14:37:12 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2015/mar/04/will-smith-fifty-shades-of-grey-focus-birdman-from-vegas-to-macau-2Photograph: Frank Masi/APPhotograph: Frank Masi/APPhil Hoad2015-03-04T14:37:12ZChinese cinemas show audience's texts alongside film: wrst idea eva?https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/aug/20/chinese-cinemas-show-audiences-texts-alongside-film-wrst-idea-eva
<p>Open thread: On-screen texts commenting on the film sent by audience members is <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/chinese-theaters-test-system-onscreen-726204">being introduced at cinemas in Chinese cities</a>. Is this something you could tolerate?</p><p>You settle down to watch the new release. You’ve got your popcorn and oversized carton of sugary water to hand. The film starts, exposition happens, and the actors strut their stuff.</p><p>Then, on the big screen, alongside the action, a text appears. Then another. And another.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/aug/20/chinese-cinemas-show-audiences-texts-alongside-film-wrst-idea-eva">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureChinaAsia PacificWed, 20 Aug 2014 11:44:22 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2014/aug/20/chinese-cinemas-show-audiences-texts-alongside-film-wrst-idea-evaPhotograph: AlamyAt least he's not texting. Photograph: AlamyPhotograph: AlamyAt least he's not texting. Photograph: AlamyJames Walsh2014-08-20T11:44:22ZPacific Rim is a hit in China: sequel could be on its wayhttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/aug/01/pacific-rim-hit-china-sequel
Despite poor box-office figures in the US, the film is set for a sequel after earning studio Warner Bros $9m in China<p>Pacific Rim, Guillermo del Toro's robots v monsters action movie, is likely to get a sequel after its $9m (£5.9m) record-breaking opening in China, <a href="http://www.deadline.com/2013/07/pacific-rim-9m-opening-in-china-biggest-ever-for-warner-bros-sequel-likely/" title="">according to Deadline</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/aug/01/pacific-rim-hit-china-sequel">Continue reading...</a>Guillermo del ToroFilmCultureWarner BrosChinaWorld newsScience fiction and fantasyAction and adventureThu, 01 Aug 2013 08:49:08 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/aug/01/pacific-rim-hit-china-sequelHenry Barnes2013-08-01T08:49:08ZHollywood studios owed millions by Chinahttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/jul/30/hollywood-studios-owed-china
In a row over tax with Chinese film distributors, US studios including Warner Bros, Sony and Paramount remain unpaid<p>Hollywood studios have not been paid by the organisation which represents Chinese cinema distributors for a number of months, a period during which blockbusters such as <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/144416/skyfall" title="">Skyfall</a>, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/148371/man-of-steel" title="">Man of Steel</a> and <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/film/movie/150829/star-trek-into-darkness" title="">Star Trek Into Darkness</a> have pulled in hundreds of millions of dollars at the local box office, <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/hollywood-studios-havent-been-paid-594939" title="">according to the Hollywood Reporter</a>.</p><p>The China Film Group is withholding payments following disagreements over a new 2% VAT-style tax that Beijing expects US studios to pay. The American studios say the tax violates World Trade Organisation rules but so far have failed to make an official complaint or withdraw their films from cinemas. All six major US studios are reportedly involved in the impasse.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/jul/30/hollywood-studios-owed-china">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureFilm industryWarner BrosParamount PicturesSony PicturesChinaWorld newsUS newsUniversal PicturesTue, 30 Jul 2013 15:16:59 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/jul/30/hollywood-studios-owed-chinaPhotograph: Moviestore / Rex FeaturesStuck in an impasse … Star Trek Into Darkness. Photograph: Moviestore / Rex FeaturesPhotograph: Moviestore / Rex FeaturesStuck in an impasse … Star Trek Into Darkness. Photograph: Moviestore / Rex FeaturesBen Child2013-07-30T15:16:59ZWhen China Met Africa - watch the film herehttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/apr/30/when-china-met-africa-film-on-demand
Our new film on demand is the revealing documentary about China's commercial involvement in Africa<p><a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/interactive/2013/apr/30/when-china-met-africa-film-on-demand">Reading this on mobile? See the film here</a></p><p>Tying in with the Guardian's revealing <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/series/china-africa-soft-power-hard-cash">China in Africa</a> series, here's an opportunity to watch an eye-opening documentary about just what it means. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/140632/when-china-met-africa">When China Met Africa</a>, directed by Marc and Nick Francis, follows various Chinese enterprises underway in Zambia – from large-scale roadbuilding to small-scale crop-growing – and underscores the uneasy relationship between the two.</p><p>[<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/140632/when-china-met-africa">When China Met Africa</a>] puts into concrete images that truism of the geo-political commentariat: that China is a new economic superpower. Specifically, it illustrates a new type of colonialist exploitation in present-day Zambia, enthusiastically aided and abetted by the national government. On a micro level, it involves individual Chinese emigres buying large plots of scrub, and hiring locals to clear and farm the land. On the macro, giant Chinese corporations are handed contracts to improve infrastructure: we follow one such, building a highway more than 300km across the country. On the face of it, there's an anti-western, post-imperial rhetoric fuelling the relationship, but fairly evidently it's a grossly lopsided one, with considerable benefits to China in the form of plentiful and cheap natural resources. If this documentary is anything to go by, the Chinese incomers are just as suspicious and disrespectful to the Africans as their European forebears; you have to wonder how long it will take the Zambians to become aware of what they've let themselves in for.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/apr/30/when-china-met-africa-film-on-demand">Continue reading...</a>DocumentaryChinaAfricaZambiaTue, 30 Apr 2013 14:10:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/apr/30/when-china-met-africa-film-on-demandPhotograph: PRStill from When China Met AfricaPhotograph: PRStill from When China Met Africaguardian.co.uk2013-04-30T14:10:00ZIron Man 3 illustrates a Chinese puzzle Hollywood is hoping to solvehttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/apr/23/iron-man-3-chinese-puzzle
US-Chinese co-productions don't appear to be hitting the spot, as Chinese film-makers are catering for domestic audiences with growing success<p>There's all sorts of meta-cinematic devilry going on in one of the strangest blockbusters of the decade – <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/146938/iron-man-3" title="">Iron Man 3</a>. In one scene <a href="http://" title="">Ben Kingsley</a>'s nemesis, the Mandarin, halts for a lecture on the authenticity, or otherwise, of the "Chinese" fortune cookie – right before laying waste to <a href="http://www.tclchinesetheatres.com/" title="">Grauman's Chinese theatre in Hollywood</a>: "Another cheap American knock-off." You can't help but wonder whether this particular tirade is Iron Man 3 writers <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2013/apr/19/shane-black-iron-man-3" title="">Shane Black</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/mrdrewpearce" title="">Drew Pearce</a> comment on the process of trying to adapt the film for Chinese audiences, and the bigger, east-facing game the whole of Hollywood is playing.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/apr/23/iron-man-3-chinese-puzzle">Continue reading...</a>Iron Man 3Robert Downey JrBen KingsleyFilm industryFilmCultureChinaTue, 23 Apr 2013 16:01:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/apr/23/iron-man-3-chinese-puzzlePhil Hoad2013-04-23T16:01:00ZWhy Hollywood kowtows to Chinahttps://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/mar/11/hollywood-kowtows-to-china
Films set in Shanghai, Chinese scientists saving the day, Beijing portrayed as the promised land … US film-makers are flattering their way into the world's fastest-growing movie market<p>Last week North Korea <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/mar/08/north-korea-rages-un-sanctions" title="">threatened America with a nuclear strike</a>. This week sees the UK release of Red Dawn, which features a North Korean invasion of the US. An impressive instance of Hollywood's far-sightedness? Not quite.</p><p>Red Dawn is the reboot of a cold war thriller that's much cherished in some quarters. Back in 1984, when the original appeared, the aggressor could only have been the Soviet Union. With the new film comes a new commie bogeyman – but it was not supposed to be North Korea. These days, it's not so much Kim Jong-un's eccentric dictatorship that makes Americans tremble, it's their newfound rival for superpower status, China.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/mar/11/hollywood-kowtows-to-china">Continue reading...</a>ThrillerFilm industryFilmCultureCensorshipChinaWorld newsMon, 11 Mar 2013 14:24:00 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/mar/11/hollywood-kowtows-to-chinaPhotograph: Allstar/MGM/Sportsphoto LtdCensors and sensibility … MGM's soon-to-be-released Red Dawn has changed its axis of evil from China to North Korea. Photograph: Allstar/MGM/Sportsphoto LtdPhotograph: Allstar/MGM/Sportsphoto LtdCensors and sensibility … MGM's soon-to-be-released Red Dawn has changed its axis of evil from China to North Korea. Photograph: Allstar/MGM/Sportsphoto LtdDavid Cox2013-03-11T14:24:00ZFilm-makers start thinking 'glocal'https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/dec/04/film-makers-start-thinking-glocal
There are signs that regionally-inflected versions of the same stories offer a way ahead for world cinema<p>"Global plus local = glocal." That's how the heat-seeking missile in a business suit that is Anna Kendrick in Jason Reitman's <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/movie/133695/up-in-the-air" title="">Up in the Air</a> (2009) justifies her cost-cutting brainwave: firing workers around the world remotely via video conference. It's probably the only time "glocalisation" will ever get namechecked in a feature-film script. But the ploy of tailoring global business to individual countries could be picking up speed in the cinema industry, according to <a href="http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/clint-eastwood-nicholas-sparks-talents-395707" title="">a recent Hollywood Reporter article</a> on a new wave of remakes: rather than cutting a one-size-fits-all global hit from foreign material, Hollywood producers are increasingly seeing steady revenue from licensing foreign reworkings of US films, like last year's Chinese version of Mel Gibson vehicle <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhHqflh2kU4" title="">What Women Want</a>.</p><p>Those are individual cases, though. There are signs that the glocally-minded film producer can think bigger, namely Paramount's recent announcement that it'll be releasing a <a href="http://www.slashfilm.com/paramount-to-tease-latino-paranormal-activity-spin-off-in-post-credits-paranormal-activity-4-scene/" title="">Latino-targeted instalment</a> of its Paranormal Activity franchise. Interesting move: why not spice up the flatpack suburban occultism with some heady Catholic themes, especially if there's a target audience out there? There's already been a Japan-produced <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hURDigyUF8s" title="">PA offshoot</a>, and with that grainy night-vision bedcam keeping the branding consistent, and Paranormal 2 and 3's writer there to oversee things – under the provisional title The Oxnard Tapes (so Latino-sounding!) – as director, this could be the first glocalised film franchise.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/dec/04/film-makers-start-thinking-glocal">Continue reading...</a>FilmCultureClint EastwoodSouth KoreaHorrorChinaJason ReitmanTue, 04 Dec 2012 12:43:25 GMThttp://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2012/dec/04/film-makers-start-thinking-glocalPhotograph: PRGlocal hero ... Paranormal Activity 2 Tokyo NightPhotograph: PRGlocal hero ... Paranormal Activity 2 Tokyo NightPhil Hoad2012-12-04T12:43:25Z